Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer

As if there weren’t already countless reasons to love HBO, they have new original documentaries premiering every Monday throughout the summer. Pussy Riot, a cultured view of the flaws in the Russian judicial system, was the first to debut.

Pussy Riot explores the lives of three young women (Nadya, Katya and Masha) who essentially disagree with Vladimir Putin’s ideals. Actually, when I say disagree, I mean they despise everything he stands for. They display their hatred via a punk rock protest, which in my eyes is one of the coolest fucking feminist movements I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. I totally want to be friends with these bitches; they're just so goddamn cool.

Dressed in bright colors and equally vibrant balaclavas (ski masks), this group of women perform their vivacious punk rock routine riddled with anti-Putin slurs and choreographed dance routines throughout various locations in Moscow.

The balls on these chicks! I would need at least five Coors Lights and three vodka shots to do what they do and if there was the slightest chance of me getting caught, I would run away with my arms flailing in the air.

Always pushing the envelope, Pussy Riot went a little too extreme by bum-rushing a church altar in Moscow’s largest Orthodox cathedral. As one could imagine, crashing a mass is frowned upon, and apparently the Russian Orthodox faith does not allow women anywhere near the altar. Whoops. As if the Russian government needed an excuse to quell these radical broads -this was like shooting fish in a barrel. Add punk rock protestors with a vulgar name, sprinkle in religion, toss in government and you have a big bowl of controversy stew. Or should I say borscht? (Ha! Sorry, I had too.)

The documentary mainly explores the months before and after the “pussy” trial and the world-wide uproar their jail sentence caused. The film also delves into the upbringing of each woman and how they became such strong-willed feminists. Like most HBO originals, this is definitely worth a watch. If you don’t have HBO, I’m sure you can find it somewhere on the interweb. Enjoy the riot of the pussy. Budem!

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Meet The Blogger

Marlena Riddell

I am a lover of all films, but Indie films intrigue and inspire me the most. I do free lance PR work for indie films in the Chicago area and I also bartend part-time. I like sharing ideas about films and writing about them!